Nascent
by SecretChances
Summary: Two years later, in a factionless society, Tobias Eaton is the leader of the Council. Chicago is at peace and growing. But who is Judith Reyes? Why is she hidden from the Council? And why is Caleb Prior so hellbent on finding her? (SPOILERS for "Allegiant"! Chapters updated and fixed!)
1. Chapter 1 (Judith)

_A/N: I'm new to the Divergent fandom! Hello! Just so everyone knows, I have not read either _Insurgent _or _Allegiant_. That being said, any errors I've made I apologise for. I will fix them if pointed out to me. Thanks!_

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**Chapter One (Judith)**

I've been bed ridden for as long as I can remember. I've been poked and prodded like a human sized pin cushion. My legs have been moved and exercised every day, twice a day, to avoid bed sores. My nurses are nice, I'll give them that, but, my body laying down is foreign, benign. I feel like I should be running, jumping, athletic. That's what I should be, athletic. I feel it in my legs sometimes. Pin prickles of longing spreading throughout my toes and feet and skin. Adora says I'm getting my feeling back. Johanna says I'm trying to remember.

Remember what, I always ask her. She never really answers me. I find it irritates me. Perhaps it's because these memories I have are not my own. They belong to someone else, someone I don't know. They belong to a girl who's seen war and violence. They belong to a girl who's fought an empire. I'm not that girl. I know I can't be. I'm a nobody. I'm held together by damaged sinew and torn ligaments and scarred skin. I've not seen war. All I've seen are fields and trees and pretty people clad in red and yellow.

They tell me I live on the outskirts of what was once Chicago. They tell me I live in a farming community that used to call themselves Amity. It was a faction once. One of five that used to govern the population but now everyone is factionless and the fences that once kept us in are no longer guarded. We are free to roam as we choose, free to live how we want. We can all be selfless, kind, honest, smart and brave. A long time ago, people who were all these things were called Divergent. It was a horrible name. Now, we are all divergent. Some of the nurses say we are better for it. Others still disagree. Those people, they say, were in the Erudite faction which favored knowledge above all else. That name stings and makes my stomach turn but I don't know why.

It's all this that plagues me in the hours of the morning before the nurses stir. Factions and names and words I don't understand but leave me with a sour taste in my mouth like I'm forcing down the bile of a history that has been rewritten but not digested fully. The longer I dwell on it, the more it gets muddled. Thankfully, today's musings have been interrupted by a lovely little girl named Maggie, dressed in black and white—a former Candor-born citizen—who decides that my fingernails should be painted a bright green color. I appreciate her choice and her company as her blunt conversations keep my mind occupied for the time being. If my mind is occupied, I won't be tempted to remember.

She calls me Auntie. No name, just 'Auntie'. I don't mind. Perhaps I took care of her before my mind became a wasteland. Maybe I didn't. Either way, half the names the people call me don't ring a bell. They could mean anything. The one name that seems to have stuck is Judith. It's an Abnegation name but I don't mind it. Some of the people who come to talk to me, who aren't my nurses, say I was in Abnegation before the war which meant I was selfless. That doesn't give me much information and I wish it did. In fact, all it does is create more questions. Like I need any more questions.

The bitterness of my thoughts is stopped by a tiny hand on mine.

"All done, Auntie." I forgot she was even there. Leave it to little Maggie.

"Well, then, let me see." I hold up my hand to my face and feel a smile spreading across my lips. That seems foreign also. "It's beautiful. Thank you."

Her little face scrunches up in thought and then her hands grab my left one. "This one isn't as pretty as the other one."

"I don't mind," I say, still smiling.

Her face is still scrunched up, scrutinizing my hand, when Adora, my Erudite-born nurse, comes bustling in for my medicine and my exercises. As a result, Maggie scurries off to do her daily chores with her mother and father. Everyone has a place here.

Except for me. I feel worthless.

Adora is stocky brunette woman with a fierce face and an upturned nose and beady brown eyes. She'd almost be pretty if it weren't for the lines around her mouth and eyes and her gruff attitude. Most other nurses talk about her behind her back but I like how straightforward she is. She doesn't take my shit when I'm having a bad day. She tells me to buck it up and act like a woman not some pansy. I'd like to see her be injured. I bet she'd cause all her caretakers to quit right then and there. Then again, that's probably why she's been tasked with me. According to a few rumblings around the hospital, I can be quite the little hellion. At least, that's what I've heard. I don't quite believe it. How could I be a hellion in a hospital bed? I suppose anything is possible in this world.

Adora is rough with me today as we work. She hardly talks. Usually she speaks to me about the weather or how the other nurses are doing. She trains a few of them sometimes but, today, she is silent. It unnerves me. I feel like I've done something wrong but I don't think I have. I've been nice. I haven't caused a ruckus. Not that I remember if I have or not. Things still remain fuzzy most of the time.

After an hour of taking a beating from the woman, I hold up my hands and demand that she stop. She hears me but doesn't listen to me and she keeps going. I finally scream at her and she pulls back, hands shaking as she steps away from my bed. I've never seen her hands do that. They're usually steady. Calm, just like she is. I don't admit it but the shaking scares me.

"I'm sorry Judith. I- I don't-" She stumbles over her words and I reach out to try to calm her but she pulls further back.

"Adora, tell me what's wrong."

But she does not. It's almost as if she cannot. Like the thought of whatever is going to happen is more dire than death itself. I find that hard to believe. Nothing is worse than death. According to Adora, I have tasted that emptiness before. Again, I can't remember.

"Adora," I try again, this time, I keep my voice soft, like I'm speaking to a wounded animal. "What is going on?"

"The Council is coming here soon."

The Council is our governing body. While we all live in a peaceful society, the purpose of the Council is to regulate laws and our police force. The Council isn't typically feared. I feel like Adora is hiding something but I don't utter a word of it.

"Is that a problem?"

"This time, yes."

I eye her suspiciously but she says no more as she hurries out. I think about calling for Johanna but then I remember that she is out for official business. She is part of the Council and was once a spokesperson for the Amity faction. She will be gone until they show up. That leaves Peter.

In many ways, Peter is like me. Two years ago, he lost his memory and he'll never recover it. No one tells him that, though and it doesn't seem to bother him. I don't tell him that I see snippets of my former life. For some reason, that terrifies me. He is not violent but I can see the potential in him. Johanna told me he was once a member of Amity. I don't believe her.

Perhaps that's why I'm so hesitant about talking to him. He may be an indirect member of the Council but that doesn't mean I trust him. However, it's a catch-22 because I trust Johanna. Why would she lie to me about someone as damaged as I am? More questions with not enough answers and I'm suddenly so frustrated, I ask for Peter anyway. Maybe he can tell me why Adora is scared of the Council. Maybe he can't. It's worth a try, though. Anything is worth a try. If it makes sense of my raging mind, so be it.

But, then again, do I want my mind to make sense? I suppose it's a risk I have to take.

I like taking risks.


	2. Chapter 2 (Tobias)

_A/N: I still haven't read Insurgent or Allegiant. Please read and review and tell me what you think about this story! I'd really appreciate it. Hope it all makes sense and flows how I think it should. ;) _

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**Chapter Two (Tobias)**

It doesn't seem like two years have passed since I last saw Tris and held her in my arms. Unfortunately, it has been that long and it seems like it's only getting longer. It's the pitfall of remembering but for Christina, I'll stay in pain. It wouldn't be fair for her to remember and for me to forget. But that. 's all I want to do is forget. I want to forget her hair. I want to forget her touch. I want to forget her lips and her love and the way she could silence my demons. I want her back but the empty urn on my dresser reminds me that I can never have her back. She is gone and her ashes are scattered to the wind. I like to think she'd appreciate me facing my fear of heights to do that for her. Sometimes, that's the only thing that keeps me going.

A lot of things have changed since I stepped off that zip line. A suit and tie have replaced my typical Dauntless black and loaded gun. At one time, the Council offered me a job as head of the police force but I refused. The war had taken too much out of me and the thought of holding a gun again made me sick to my stomach. In a lot of ways, I've adopted the Amity way of life, though the faction system is no longer around. I prefer peace and happiness but I'm not truly happy. Not like this. I'm missing a piece of my heart.

Christina, for all her Candor ways, has been a great help these past few years. She took the job that was offered to me and ever since then, I've found myself drawn to the dark skinned woman Tris once considered a friend. She may be too blunt and too opinionated for me but there are days that I welcome the harshness of some of her words. She's pulled me from a drunken stupor far too many times for me to count with her words alone. I appreciate that about her. She keeps me going and I can't thank her enough.

Today is one of those days.

Today the Council begins their annual tour of the city to meet with territory leaders to see if growth and peace are continuing. I don't want to do it this year. The idea of having to meet with people is off-putting, especially when a lot of the leaders will say they're doing fine. I wonder how many of them lie to me to appease me. I hear I'm feared. I've always been feared. That shouldn't be a problem among the people. They should be used to it. Christina, however, is charismatic and despite holding a powerful position, the people love her. She usually does most of the talking. Most days I wonder why she didn't just take my job and let me be a private citizen. Then I remember that Johanna asked me to do this after she had done it for a year. She said I had the ability to be diplomatic. I don't believe her.

Chris, as I've taken to calling her, occupies a pillow on the floor of my living quarters as I take a razor to the mass of fur that's decided to grow on my face. Those are her words, not mine. She insisted that I shave before the tour. I almost defied her, just to get a rise from her, but, I decide that Johanna would appreciate if I made an effort to clean up. So, there I stood, brown eyes starring into brown in the reflection of the mirror as Chris thumbed through some paper work, scattering it on the top of my sheets.

"First up this year is the old Amity sector."

"Johanna's sector."

"And Peter's."

My eyes narrow at the mention of his name. He may have taken the memory serum to become a better man but I can't forget everything that he did to Tris and I. I told myself that I wouldn't make any ruling against Peter personal but, sometimes I wish I could lock him up and throw away the key. Memories or not, he was still Jeanie Matthew's pet. I hate him for it.

"Don't look so enthused, Four," Chris says through a laugh at my sour expression. I wipe a bit of shaving cream over my face.

"Don't call me that."

It's her turn to make a face. "Calling you Tobias seems wrong. Like, I'm sinning or something."

I let it slide and remain silent. I hate being called that anymore. I almost dislike Tobias as much but it's my name and like it or not, it's something I'm stuck with. When Johanna made the transfer of power official, Tobias was the name she used. Not Four. Tobias. My Abnegation name. My Abnegation ghost. I press down a shudder and get to work with the razor.

"Would you rather we go see Caleb first?" She asks with a cautious tone.

I hate Caleb Prior about as much as I hate Peter. Caleb is the unofficial "leader" of what used to be the Candor faction. He doesn't call himself a leader. He calls himself a spokesperson. His territory is the only one without a mayor of sorts. He likes it that way. He says it's what Tris would've wanted. How could he know what Tris would've wanted? He barely knew his own sister and he betrayed her. She died because of him.

I hate him.

"No. We'll prolong Caleb's visit for as long as possible."

She nods and I wonder if she hates him as well.

"We could always head Zeke's way. He's the furthest out."

I think on that for a moment. I haven't seen the former Dauntless-born initiate since Uriah was taken off life support. Before I was appointed this job, I heard he had a business in the former Dauntless compound and had set up a little community there but that's about as far as my information went. For all I know, he could be anywhere. It may be nice to catch up with him. It may be painful.

"We'll go with Zeke first. As for the others, we'll visit them when we get there."

"Deal."

She shuffles some more papers as I finish up in the bathroom. I wonder, as I splash cold water on my face, how the Council has even gotten this far. In my opinion, the way things are set up now is no different than the faction system. At least now we have peace, but, I wonder how long it'll last. The first iteration of the Council sought out the traitors and those who worked with Erudite and the Bureau. They were tried for their crimes and punished accordingly. This was reminiscent of the government and laws of old before the Purity war. Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Nothing's happened as of yet. It's a relief.

Before Christina leaves, I see her appraise me through the mirror. I know the smirk she wears and the sparkle in her eyes. She likes what she sees, not that she'd act on any of her impulses. I know she still pines for Will like I pine for Tris. She holds onto his memory as tightly as I hold onto Tris's. I think that's why we understand each other so well. We both miss parts of ourselves and are unwilling to mend the holes.

"Like what you see, Candor?"

She sticks her tongue out at me before she tucks the paperwork she had been working on under her arm. "Don't get cocky, Four."

And she's gone before even a semblance of a glare begins to form on my face. I hate her sometimes. It'll be interesting when she sees me in a suit. I'm afraid she may faint. I roll my eyes at that and stare at the reflection in the mirror for a little bit longer. I can see the lines in my forehead and at the corners of my eyes. I briefly wonder if she'd like them but I push that from my thoughts before I can let it grow out of control.


	3. Chapter 3 (Tobias)

_A/N: My inner _Sherlock_ decided to show up at the end. Whoops. Here is another chapter. Chapter two is now updated and fixed. I didn't realise Will died. Sad. I like Will. Anyway, here is another Tobias chapter. Hope you all enjoy!_

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**Chapter Three (Tobias)**

Johanna is waiting for me on the corner just outside my home. Her hair has grown since the last time I saw her and it's pulled back in a red ribbon. Some things never change. Such is the way with Amity-born citizens. Despite the changes to our government and our dissolution of factions, some habits die hard. I try not to remember her as the head of the Allegiant for that reason. If I did, she wouldn't be here today. I think she knows this as I approach her. She's taken to standing an uncomfortable distance away from me at all times, even when we speak. It's a hassle but it keeps me from doing something I'd regret.

"You cleaned up," she remarks as I straighten my tie.

I don't offer a retort. I see Chris standing across the cracked and broken road speaking to Susan Black and I offer them both a wave before Johanna leads me away from the O'Hara building which now houses the Council offices as well as the police force. Chris and Susan will be holed up there for the morning before we go out to visit Zeke. Protection is important to Chris, not only for the people who mill about us on the streets but also for the people who are traveling with us to other areas of the city. She is wary about a possible uprising. It is the wounds in her that refuse to heal. I don't blame her but she knows I'm not the one who needs protecting. I could care less if I die.

Johanna walks without knowing where is she heading. I wonder if it's an Amity thing, instilled in them from birth such as selflessness was instilled in the Abnegation faction, then I figure it probably isn't. Unless walking the streets silently makes her happy. Then I wonder how she's still happy. Hadn't she lost people in the fight that took Tris and Will away from Chris and I? Or had she found a 'kindred soul' in Peter since he no longer remembered who he was or what he once stood for? I imagine her teaching him the old ways of Amity to keep him calm and quiet and non-confrontational. It makes my skin crawl. Peter is no more Amity than I was Abnegation. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. That's probably why I don't trust either of them and why she doesn't trust me.

"Silence will get you nowhere, Tobias," she says as she tucks a piece of loose hair behind her ear.

I have nothing to say to her and she knows it as I keep my gaze on the damaged pavement under my feet. But, still, she talks, despite my obvious indifference. I don't listen to her. She speaks of her sector like it'll get her out of us visiting and speaking to the citizens. She knows better but maybe she's just trying to pass the time. Either way, it's annoying and I find my hands are clenching and unclenching in my pockets as I try to reign in my emotions.

After we are well out of the city center and approaching the road to the farms, I break and turn to her. I must have fire in my eyes as she backs away from me.

"You're trying to get out of us visiting. I know you Johanna. What are you hiding there in your fields?"

I think she thought I was going to yell at her. Her posture visibly relaxes and she takes a step back toward me. I'm expecting her to answer, to keep talking, to skirt the subject but it's her turn to fall quiet as her gaze moves off to the west where I know her home is. For being Candor-born, she sure likes to keep the truth from me. This isn't t he first time she's done this to me. She raises more questions than answers and it bothers me. As leader of the Council, I'm supposed to know everything that's going on with my citizens, herself included. Maybe she's forgotten that in the year since her leading days.

"You wouldn't understand."

Of course I wouldn't. Especially if it's regarding to Peter.

I decide to try a different tactic, my eyes flicking to her. She hasn't looked back at me yet.

"Is Adora behaving where you placed her?"

Adora Miller was a former Erudite. She was one of Jeanine's pets, locked away in a lab and experimenting with different serums as well as researching the gene problem that plagued people after the Purity War. As a result, she fought for the eradication of Divergents. We found her after the war in the old Candor camp. Understandably, she was hiding out from the trials that began when the factions were dissolved. Johanna came to her rescue and decided to use her talents for good. She is now lead nurse in the infirmary in her sector. We have continued watching her for signs of rebellion.

"She's doing well."

My eyes narrow. Is that a lie? In this factionless society, it's hard to tell who is lying and who is telling the truth. It is now why we have trials. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don't. According to history, it's how it's always been so none of us worry but we watch. That was Susan's job back at the office.

"She is worried about our visit."

"Yes," she finally looks at me. Finally a truth.

"If she's not causing any problems then she needn't worry. You have told her that, haven't you?"

"Of course I have, but, you realize her fear is deeply rooted in the past."

The past where I threatened to kill her. That's another story for another time.

"The past shouldn't be lived in."

"Should it not, Tobias?"

I know what she means. I know what she's getting at. She's been poking at my life and Christina's since I let Tris's ashes go from the Hancock building. She fears that our past will interfere with our present. She fears our bias will hinder our decision making. Maybe she should worry. Maybe everyone should worry. History tends to repeat itself if you don't learn from it. That is why I trust no one but Christina. Not even my father or my mother who are private citizens in some sector of the city. I don't care to know which one. I keep myself divided from them and their choices. I am not theirs and they are not mine.

"Caleb Prior has been poking around our sector," she offers after some silence.

That doesn't matter to me. I don't tell her that. The look on my face should be enough for her to back down from that line of conversation. Caleb Prior does not interest me. Caleb Prior should never have survived. Why do people keep insisting on speaking about that traitor? Caleb this. Caleb that. He seems to be the only one _anyone_ talks about these days. Other members of the Council, including Johanna, are attempting to get him apprehended and put in jail. He was sentenced to die before all of this, why not carry through with the punishment? Despite what some may say, he's not doing anything wrong. Christina and I have gone over the few laws we have adopted and poking around in other sectors isn't prohibited. Our decree simply states that anyone is allowed anywhere in the city and outlying communities. Anyone is allowed to travel outside the wall if they so please and anyone is allowed to move from one place to another whether it be on their own or with their family. It's freedom. It's allowed and welcomed.

"Is that supposed to interest me?"

"He was Erudite, Tobias. He was sentenced to be hung. Does that mean nothing to you?"

There it is. She's trying to get me to make an official statement before the tour. Many leaders are tired of the Prior boy and if I take him in before my rounds, the people will be more apt to not only approve of me but to open up to me instead of Christina.

"Tris wouldn't want it."

Maybe the past _has_ caught up with me. Judging by the look on Johanna's face, she thinks so too. She should've never chosen me as a politician and leader. But, if she has any qualms, it doesn't show as she nods in acceptance. She hasn't answered my question yet, though. I should push her. I should ask what she's hiding. She must be if Caleb is poking around and asking questions. He is smart, I'll give him that. That's the only thing I'll give him.

"So be it," she snaps and turns to head back to the O'Hara building.

I watch her retreating figure for a few moments before I turn my gaze to the sun in the west. Maybe I'll visit the old Candor compound first so I can see what I can dig up.

There is an east wind coming. I can almost feel it.


	4. Chapter 4 (Judith)

_A/N:_ _So, I'm aware that following Tris's death, Peter took the Memory serum and moved to Milwaukee. That will be explained soon, I promise. Also, apologies this is so short. I think I'm going to stick with Tobias after this until I get Judith's voice down. Or until I get her out of the hospital bed. Whichever comes first. Enjoy! Chapter 5 will be much longer and will be hopefully posted on Saturday!_

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**Chapter 4 (Judith)**

Peter sits on the edge of my bed near my feet as I eat breakfast. I haven't seen Adora since she scurried out a couple of hours earlier. Now, instead of her administering my medicine, a young trainee is doing it as Peter watches carefully.

I don't want to eat with him here but it seems I have no choice. Security around the hospital is ramping up and I can't figure out why. When he first got here, I tried to ask but he shut me down saying I shouldn't worry about it that I'll be fine. An extra, necessary precaution is all it was. Was everyone scared of the Council? I've been here for at least two years and the fear has only just begun to seep through the seams. Why? That's the whole reason I called Peter here but he isn't talking about the Council. No, he's just starring at me like he's trying to place where I belong in his memories.

His stare unnerves me as I take a bite of some apple concoction Maggie brought me. I hate hospital food and I'm grateful for her and her parents for feeding me. Peter condones it. Says I should be treated like everyone else. The only problem is, Johanna says I'm not like everyone else. She says I'm different. To what extent, I couldn't say. As always, there are more questions than answers.

When I'm finished with the food and the young trainee, Mels is her name, is finished with her job, Peter finally speaks. He has a nasally voice to accompany his stern eyes and crooked nose. I wonder if he broke it once. He has a faint scar on his left cheek right under his eye but I don't know how he got it. I'm not completely sure if I _want_ to know. It seems that knowing as little about each other as possible is a good thing. A _very_ good thing.

"So, you want to know why Adora is afraid of the Council?"

I nod but don't say a word, my mouth full of water that I'm about to swallow. The water here always tastes so weird.

"'Fraid that's a bit complicated."

That would be his answer. Why am I not surprised?

I swallow the bit of water as a lady comes in to take my tray. She tuts at the uneaten hospital food before she heads away. It seems Peter isn't the only one who doesn't approve of me eating food from the outside. I don't care. Maggie and her parents don't seem to either and that works just fine for me.

"Surprise, surprise. Everything is complicated with you guys."

"You're not a member of the Council, Jude, I can't divulge any secrets. Neither can Johanna."

"Secrets? It's absolutely no secret that she's terrified. Have you even seen her today at all?"

His eyes narrow harshly and I shrink back into the pillow propped behind my back but I don't back down. I may have surrendered a little bit but my eyes still burn into his. I silently dare him to lie to me. Just go ahead and lie. I'd find out soon enough. I wasn't going to be stuck in this bed for forever. I'll make sure of it. Besides, if Johanna thinks I'm getting my strength back, it won't be long before I'm out of here for good.

I've already made plans to disappear into the city. There are enough people there that I can blend in among the hustle and bustle. Maybe I could work in the back of some restaurant or a shop of some kind where I can neither be seen or heard. It'd be a reprieve from being continuously poked and prodded by everyone and everything. It'd be nice. Hell, just to feel the sun on my face would be nice. I haven't felt or seen it in so long. My room doesn't have any windows and I'm not allowed to taken outside, not even in a wheel chair. It's so frustrating. There are days I can feel my body trying to rebel.

I asked Peter once why I wasn't allowed outside. He told me jokingly that I was too ugly to see the light of day. I vaguely remember slapping him. It's been a long time since I've looked in the mirror but his words have stuck with me ever since. I have no idea what I look like. I could be deformed with malnourished skin and sunken eyes and a nose more crooked than his. I could be beautiful. I know I have blonde hair, I see it when it falls on the pillow or ends up in my clothes. I know it's long enough to be pulled back in a pony tail. Other than that, I have no idea what I truly look like.

In the dark of the night when I can't sleep and nightmares and dreams plague my mind, I foolishly feel my face to give myself some sort of idea of what I may look like. It doesn't work. Nothing feels wrong but that doesn't mean it isn't wrong.

I am pulled from my thoughts when he finally speaks.

"No, I have not but I've been busy prepping for the Council's arrival."

Yes, of course he has. "Not that you're a member."

His eyes narrow more. "I may as well be. Johanna keeps me informed and the people look up to me."

I definitely do _not_ look up to him. I think he knows that. I also think he knows my secret. It's in the way he stares at me, like he's looking right through me and reading a chapter in my life that I don't have access to. Then I wonder, how much does he remember? More than me? Maybe Johanna is lying to us both. I still find that so hard to believe in a person like her. She's far too nice, harmless. Maybe it's for our protection.

Maybe it's for hers.

"Not all of them," I'm quick to point out. Why am I so intent on poking his rage? Do I have a death wish?

I feel like he might explode at any time. His hands are shaking, like Adora's were before she high tailed it out of here. His silent rage is enough to keep me from talking for now. I still demand answers. I still want to make sense of what I dream of night, what I see sometimes when I close my eyes. That will never stop, no matter how much Peter tries to intimidate me. I refuse to be remain in the dark.

"You're barking up the wrong tree, Stiff," he growls. "Remember that before you start nosing around where you shouldn't belong."

Stiff. No one has ever called me 'stiff' but I feel a fire burning in my belly from being called that and it burns long after he leaves and slams the door.


	5. Chapter 5 (Tobias)

_A/N: I got finished with this chapter a little early so here's a special treat for you! Chapter 5 clocking in at almost 3,000 words. Whut? Yeah. A lot goes down in this chapter but even more will go down in later chapters. I promise I'm not moving too fast. :) Enjoy!_

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**Chapter Five (Tobias)**

I tell Christina about the change in plans and she looks like she could hit me. Not the soft, friendly hits she gives me when I do something that makes her roll her eyes. No, she looks like she could punch me in the face. Her brown eyes burn fire and I know that she is decidedly not happy about seeing the Prior boy. I don't blame her. I don't want to see him either but it has to be done. I tell her this and she begins to pace the length of my office. Back and forth. Back and forth. I watch her to make sure she doesn't decide to break anything.

For all his faults, Caleb Prior is intuitive. If he's seen something or has a hunch, it's probably a good idea to follow up on it. Chicago and the population of the outlying suburbs need to know if anything is out there threatening their peace. They've already been through one war. They don't need to go through another. If that's all I do while I'm in charge, so be it, but I'd rather prevent a war than not take a threat seriously. Death is not something I want to see ever again. If Christina and I have to go through it again, I think it may kill us.

I watch Chris pace until I hear the faint rumbling of the train and the sound of its horn blaring. It brings an unwelcome smile to my face. A few years ago, the sounds of the tracks were punctuated with the whoops and hollers of fearless Dauntless members who made it a habit of jumping from the moving trains onto rooftops and empty fields and broken streets. There was a sense of freedom in being Dauntless. There is a sense of freedom now but I no longer jump from trains or run alongside them. I wonder if Chris misses it like I do. Then I think, no, she probably doesn't. Her initiation to Dauntless came at the wrong time.

The horn blares again and I'm out from behind my desk and hugging Christina tightly. The touch of another body against mine is odd. She is no Tris but I know she needs comfort as much as I do. In a lot of ways, she's like me. She holds on to the very last minute and then she breaks. Much like I did that night she picked me up from the gutter but I don't want to think about that as I pull back from her. She nods at me and slings her gun over her shoulder before she heads out the door.

The walk to the train is quiet between us but the people around us who comprise the rest of the Council chit chat idylly. They talk about the weather and trivial things that don't matter much to me. It's not raining or snowing. That's all that matters in the long run, but, I do tend to listen to them. Some of them have been on these tours more than once and they know the people and what to look for. It's then, I hear the whispering of a former Erudite. He wears the blue typical of the citizens who still hang on to their former ways. It's the only way I can tell the difference between him and everyone else. I think Christina hears him too because the way she looks at me is enough to make my blood run cold.

Once we're all on the train and on toward the old Candor sector, I finally turn to him and ask him his name. He looks properly scared. With good reason, I'd imagine.

"Conrad, sir."

"I have a question, Conrad." His eyes get wide but he nods. He'll answer whether he wants to or not. "What was the second rule adopted by the Council?"

I've caught him off guard. I can see it in the way he fumbles for his words and the way he glances at his colleagues with terror, eyes flitting back and forth between them.

"To never speak of the serums, sir."

The serums were the way factions kept "peace" before the war but there was nothing peaceful about them. The five factions each adopted a serum for their different uses. Dauntless had a simulation serum. Erudite had a death serum. Candor had a truth serum. Amity had a peace serum. Abnegation had a memory serum. After the factions were dissolved, there had been some talk of former Erudites coming together with doctors and researchers to develop different serums to be used as medicine but there had never been any proof of it. The Council even looked into it before they made their ruling to ban all mention of the serums in addition to destroying papers and writings about them. Why was he talking about them all of a sudden?

"And?" I ask, arms crossed, the buttons of my suit digging into the skin of my arms.

"To report anything that may lead to the abolition of said serums."

"Is there something you need to tell me, Conrad?"

He shakes his head and immediately falls quiet. If he knows something, he's not telling. I'm not sure if it's out of fear or loyalty to someone. I keep glaring at him but he doesn't budge. So be it. Caleb may know and if he does, he will tell me. I'll make sure of it.

The rest of the ride is silent. Christina keeps taking apart her gun and putting it back together. It's a nervous tic she has as well as a scare tactic. She and I are on the same wave length. Our execution is a little different. We don't look at each other but I know she's gauging my emotions and I hers. She's on edge and it shows. The only difference between her and I is that I show nothing. On the outside, I am calm but on the inside, I am raging. She and I could easily take this whole car out if any of them make so much of a wrong move. I silently dare them to just to see if they're brave. They're not.

The train slows to a low rumble and the people milling about the city center look up. They were not expecting being visited first. I like catching everyone off guard. It leaves less time for them to formulate lies and excuses. The one good thing is, everyone here looks happy at first glance. There are families playing catch and playing among the grass and fields. A few mothers are dotted along strings of clothing with baskets at their feet. They sing songs from before the war. They must've been Amity.

When we pull into the station, Conrad is the first to get off followed by Johanna, Christina, a few other members of the Council and then myself. It's stifling in this damned suit but I straighten my tie anyway and trudge on. Chris has mastered the art of looking amiable and dangerous all at the same time. Even with the gun on her back and a pistol on her hip, the children run up to her to show her crafts they've made or clothes they've sewn. One kid brings up a flower crown, weaved together with some small blue flowers from the fields, and she bends down so the little girl can put it on her head. I have to suppress a laugh as I pass her.

"What?" She asks as she falls in line beside me.

"Blue doesn't suit you."

She elbows me in the arm and rolls her brown eyes but still, I smile. It enough for her to as well.

"Shut up."

It's good that she seems to be loosening up a little bit. At least she is. I'm not. As we approach the market, I can feel my nerves getting tense and my muscles tightening. My senses are heightened like I'm searching for someone to attack me. I expect it to happen since this is Caleb's sector. Anything can happen with him around. Christina moves closer to me and I calm down a little. Her presence here is nice.

Other members of the Council are milling around fruit stalls talking to the many occupants when I see him. He seems absolutely oblivious to the fact that visitors are here despite the whispering and obviousness of us being here.

"Prior." Thank God, Christina speaks first.

He turns and I am reminded how very little like Tris he looks. He looks like his father. His face lined with exhaustion and a small hint of stubble on his chin. His hair is brown, cropped short and he has a blue handkerchief tucked into his back pocket. Erudite. He still sports it proudly. It makes me sick. If I was allowed to hit him in the face just for looking like an arrogant prick, I would. He deserves it and that much more.

"Christina, it's good to see you." He stretches out a hand in greeting but she doesn't take it. Instead, her hand settles above the holster on her hip.

"Wish I could say the same."

He backs down. He still hasn't looked me in the eye but I make it a point to stare at him until he's uncomfortable which it already looks like he is. He doesn't like us and it shows.

"Do you have a place where we could talk?"

He avoids the question and buys a few apples before he starts walking away from us. I follow with Christina on lookout behind me.

"Is this about me visiting other communities? It's not illegal. I looked it up."

"The members of the Council want you stopped."

He just repeats what's already been said. "It's not illegal."

He is trying my patience. I shove my hands into my pockets, clenching and unclenching them into fists. I must remain calm. I must remain calm.

"No shit it isn't illegal." I silently praise Christina again. "What's illegal is you poking around in records without permission of the Council. We know you've snuck into O'Hare. We have security footage."

"And yet, you haven't arrested me," he says and I notice he's leading us out of the busy market. "Why is that?"

"Listen, Prior," she starts to speak but I hold up a hand to stop her. She was about to tear into him and while I would've loved to have seen that, it's not what we're here for.

I decide to try a different tactic. If he's not going to respond to us being short with him, maybe he will if we actually pretend to like him. I highly doubt it but this is going to get us nowhere.

"Alright, Caleb, we get it. Visiting other communities isn't illegal and yes, we know we haven't arrested you. I think you know why."

His eyes get sad and I can see his shoulders droop a little. Tris is and always will be a soft spot for him despite his apparent indifference to her when she was alive. I try not to remember him betraying us or the fact that he should've died instead of her. It won't help anyone right now. Right now, we need answers and he may give them to us if we get him far enough away from people.

We approach a small building that looks like it may be an office and Caleb pulls a set of keys from his pocket.

"No one will disturb us here."

He opens the door and motions for us to follow him. The place is small but tidy and full of books. A desk is in the middle of the main room and is piled full of papers and even more books. A single lamp is lit in the corner until he turns on the overhead lights and I'm momentarily blinded by the brightness. There's no where to sit so I find myself a clear patch of wall to lean against. Christina sits on the sill of a boarded up window.

From the outside, this place looks unused, abandoned. Now I know why no one has been able to find anything. He's kept it all hidden. His own hidden agenda. I wonder if his community knows he's keeping secrets. Unless he shares his findings with them. I highly doubt it.

"What is this place?" Christina utters as she looks around.

"It's my office. After the war, I gathered as many books from the abandoned Erudite compound I could find. The others are gifts from the people. I share them, in case you're wondering."

I was but I don't mention that. My patience is wearing thin.

"You know why we're here. Johanna is worried."

"She should be."

Christina sits up a little, dark eyes glaring at him. I stop her again from making any rash statements. This is on his terms.

He sits down behind his desk and pulls a pamphlet from one of the top drawers. I'm not unfamiliar with it. Johanna's sector houses the printing press which provides us with our weekly news. Originally, it was in Erudite but after the raid on the compound, it found its way over to Amity. A lot of people read it but I don't so I'm not overly familiar on anything about it.

"What's so important about this?" I ask, my gaze flicking over to Christina.

"Everything," he says and flips it over so the back cover is showing. "These word games on the back are an old Erudite trick. They're used to pass information both confidential and meaningless. Jeanine did away with them when she was leader of the Faction. She said that if she was going to pass information along to someone, she would do it outright."

It takes me a little bit to catch on but when I do, I nod in understanding. To me, the game just looks like a muddle of words and letters with little meaning. One time, Christina and I tried to figure it out but we never could. I know why now. But what I don't understand is why Johanna is passing information along to the Erudites. Or, if it even is Johanna. Chris has her doubts as well. I can see it as I move away from my spot on the wall.

"We need more proof than word games, Caleb. Surely you know better than that."

Christina follows my lead and slides off the window sill. I don't need to stick around if that's all he's going to give us. I have better things to do.

"Are you going to let me finish?"

I stop and turn to face him. "Maybe. If you can give us something more than that."

"We can't investigate Johanna on a whim and a word game," Chris chimes in, tiredness in her tone of her voice.

He has a sparkle in his eye and his lips curl upward into a smirk. I could still punch him. I want to punch him. It wouldn't take much to knock him out. I relish the thought.

"Someone from her community is sending messages about serums. I looked it up. Over the past two years, she's been working with Adora Miller, a known serum engineer. The paperwork is all in the infirmary." He goes searching for something on his mess of a desk. "Now, the serums she's working on aren't your typical Erudite serums. They're more medicinal. I remember when the Council was looking into claims about that and I did some more digging."

I'm equal parts intrigued and angry. Johanna has been keeping secrets. That's why she didn't answer me today. I can feel myself getting furious, the heat rising to my face. I know Christina can see it. If there is one thing I hate more than death and war it's lies and the former leader of the Council has done it straight to my face. I try to calm myself despite this. It's easy to forget we are talking to Caleb Prior who is notorious for betrayal but something stops me from disbelieving completely.

"Continue," I whisper dangerously.

"There is a room in the infirmary no body has been into. It has no windows, nothing. I looked up the schematic of the building when I was at O'Hare. The room is in the basement. Do you know what else is in the basement?"

"Frankenstein's monster?" Christina retorts dryly.

"A laboratory. A really extensive laboratory. It's heavily guarded, a few of my sources say. Peter Hayes is one of them."

I take time to process all of this. A lab. A hidden room. It all sounded so cliched but eventually, he finds what he's looking for and he lays it out over the manila folders. It's the same schematic he was talking about and he points to the box that signifies the room. Christina approaches the desk and looks over my shoulder as I too peer at the blue prints.

"What is she hiding in there?"

"Ask her about Judith Reyes. I looked her up and she didn't exist until two years ago. Johanna doesn't have a daughter. She isn't even married."

"So who is she?" Christina looks up at Caleb, trying and failing to hide her curiosity.

"That's what I'm trying to find out."


	6. Chapter 6 (Tobias)

_A/N: Arghh. Yikes this week has been nuts. I didn't get to go see Insurgent like I wanted to but I have read more of Divergent so that got me in the mood. I was really stuck on this chapter and I don't know why. Hope it lives up to expectations since it's being posted later than usual. Apologies! Enjoy!_

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**Chapter 6 (Tobias)**

Judith Reyes didn't exist until two years ago. A baby is being used as a science experiment? Surely not. All births are registered at time of delivery with a member of the Council present to sign the birth certificate. Unless Johanna tampered with one. Even then, a _baby_ is locked in a secure room with no doors or windows or view from the outside? That's abusive at the very least.

Christina seems to be thinking along the same lines and I can see the disgust written plainly over her face. For a few moments, I don't speak. I don't have the gumption to. I can't form my words the way I want to. It's like I've swallowed glue. My mind is racing but anything to say sounds wrong.

I finally manage a taut whisper. "This isn't a baby, is it?"

He has the audacity to snort in amusement. "No. Hardly. Unless Marcus got her pregnant but I doubt that."

The mention of my father sends a chill down my spine.

"Have you found any records suggesting the moving of equipment from Erudite to the Amity fields?"

He smiles and nods and pulls out a folder from under the blue prints of the infirmary. He amazes me. I still hate him but at least he is thorough. Very, very thorough. He hands the folder over to me and I take it and begin to thumb through it. Christina is beside me again, looking over my shoulder to see.

"The Bureau was raided soon after Beatrice died. A lot of the research was funneled away from outside eyes. When I was working with Cara in the Department of Agriculture, I started noticing files going missing and people going in and out that I had never seen before. I started tracking all of this and then I was fired for snooping around. Surprise."

Christina smirks and I know she's biting back a retort. Caleb knows too. I can tell by the way his eyes narrow. I'm pleased that he's displeased or at least annoyed. I really shouldn't be considering this is going to be a great help further down the road. It will bring me great pleasure to lock Johanna up. _Fantastic_ pleasure.

"So Johanna is developing serums. Do you think she'll plan another uprising?"

Surprisingly, Caleb shakes his head. This isn't about war, then. It's about something else. Revenge? Actual, legitimate research? Another genetic experiment? My blood runs cold and I stop flipping through the folder. Christina looks at me worriedly.

"David. Tell me he is still locked up." I direct the statement to her but I don't glance over at her.

"He is still in prison, yes."

I feel myself breathing a sigh of relief. That...bastard was responsible for shooting Tris in the neck. He was going to reset the memories of every single person in Chicago. He may have even killed them eventually. That man would never see the light of day ever again and I will personally make sure he is never released until he is released in a casket. The thing is, he doesn't remember anything. The Abnegation Serum was used on him following his attack on Tris.

"I can tell you for certain that she hasn't even been to the prison. I looked up all that too thinking she was experimenting with genetics as well. So far, it's all been medicinal research."

I frown and shut the folder with a snap. Serums for medicinal purposes. Erudites working with her in the infirmary. A lab and a secret room in the basement. A hidden child? What was all this pointing to? What in the hell was going on? All of this was very, very, very, illegal and she knew she would get in trouble if caught. So...

"Why?" I ask. "Why go through all of this?"

Caleb shrugs. "I wish I knew. All I know is that she has Peter Hayes guarding a laboratory and a room that may be housing a woman named Judith Reyes. She has been gathering information and reports for two years, all from the Bureau and the old Erudite compound and the Council storage rooms. She's been sharing her information on the back of the pamphlets each week. I think I can decode it. I just haven't had time yet. The one I did do, the one I showed you, is just one piece of the puzzle."

"So it's an ongoing thing," Christina moves back to her window sill, toying with her gun strap. "Think you can track the pamphlets back to when it all started?"

"Easily."

Smug son of a bitch.

"Do it." I tuck the file under my arm. "I'm taking this with me. Christina and I will look over it. If we need anything else, we'll let you know."

He seems a little shocked at the quick and curt exit but I'm not playing around here. Plus, Chris and I do have other things to attend to. This isn't a social visit. This is a business visit. This is a peace making and peace keeping visit. Johanna and other members of the Council will be wondering where we've ran off to and we definitely do not want them snooping around like Caleb has. They'll protect Johanna. I want to tear her apart.

With final nods of acknowledgment, we turn and head out of his abandoned building, not caring that we leave him there alone among his books and his thoughts.

"What do you think?" Christina finally asks me about halfway to the market.

I tuck the file folder into my suit jacket and shrug. "I don't know what to think."

"Serums for medical purposes. I suppose we saw it coming."

"Adora did. But, why not ask for permission to do research? It's obvious this is what Conrad was talking about on the way here."

Christina shoots me a look, her eye brow arched into her hairline. "Permission to do research? After you banned even the _mention_ of serums? What cloud are you dancing on? Better yet, what are you smoking?"

I give up on even talking to her. There is too much in my head to even form a witty remark.

The rest of the visit to the former Candor compound goes well. Christina is unsurprisingly decked out in handmade everything from the children. She would be a good mother, I'm almost sure of it. Her children would be the biggest handful outside of a Dauntless toddler, but, she would handle it with grace. It's how she handles the children around here. She would do the same for her own. I, on the other hand, am approached by only one child and she is perhaps the only child I would ever call "cute". She holds out a yellow flower, calls it a gladiolus, then skips away shyly after I've taken it from her. Of course, Christina laughs and I find myself laughing along with her.

When we've said our peace and the train comes back around through the station, it is well past lunch and I'm starving. I check the watch strapped on my wrist, a present from my mother when I became leader, and discover it's nearing 4:30. On a normal day, Christina and I would just be hanging up our official attire and calling it a day. We'd say our goodbyes outside the doors of the office and go our separate ways. I think today will be different though. I feel a change in the air around us. I don't mind.

I hand the file folder Caleb gave me over to Susan who has been quiet most of the trip. It's almost as if she knows what she's looking at and holding is confidential. I won't have to worry about her. It's the others I'll need to worry about. The rest of the group board the front car, Conrad last as I give him a glare, but I don't move. A little Dauntless in me wants to relive the old days. Christina ambles up beside me and nudges me in the hip.

"Are you going to stick around here for a while?" She has this mischievous sparkle in her eyes and a smirk curled on her lips.

"Maybe." The train begins to move and I watch a few cars move by before I smile back down at her. "Race you."

"You'll loose."

I quirk an eyebrow down at her as the train gains speed. I can see the caboose approaching.

"Do you want to bet?"

She glances at me, then at the train, and back.

"Maybe later," she says then takes off at a dead sprint.

"Not fair!" I call after her as I too begin to run.

It's liberating to do this again. To feel the wind at my chest and my face. Christina's hair is blowing in wild tendrils up ahead of me and I can't help but marvel on how beautiful she looks like this. So carefree and much like she used to be. A part of me wants to let her win just so I can watch her but the rebellion catches up to me and I force myself to go as fast as I can, my feet pounding against the soft grass near the tracks. I ignore the pinch of my toes from the strain against these damned dress shoes. She is within arms' reach of me now and I pass her in a single stride.

I can't look back at her but I can imagine the face she is pulling as I grab onto the rail of the second to the last car and hoist myself into the empty carriage. I can feel my heart beating wildly against my chest and my blood rushing through my ears. Once I catch my breath, I look out the open door to see her reach for the same rail. I hold out my hand and she takes it before I pull her up, her tiny body careening against mine.

"That...was...awesome," she manages between breaths.

I have to agree with her. I can only imagine how the Council would react but I don't care. She steps away from me and, though I'm roasting in the suit jacket I'm still wearing, I miss her warmth. I watch as she sits down against the back wall and removes her big gun from around her chest. She props it beside her and leans her head against the cold steel. I try to keep my gaze from roaming but it does and I find myself watching her chest heave up and down.

"Like what you see, Four?" She mimics the words I said to her earlier.

I have to pull my gaze away from her, my face turning hot at the suggestion. "No."

"Liar," she whispers in a breathless, husky voice.

Damn her for being right.

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_A/N (2): Yes, I went there. Yes, I'm going there. Next chapter will be smutty. Be forewarned and if Christina/Four turns your stomach, you may want to skip the next chapter! I'll put a disclaimer on that one when I post it!_


	7. Chapter 7 (Tobias)

_A/N: Here be the smuttiest thing I have ever written. I am absolutely horrible at sexy times so apologies if this is weird. Also, this is Christina/Four. If you don't like the idea of that, you can skip this chapter but it will play a part later down the line. I don't do sex just to do sex. Obviously, seeing as i'm horrible at writing it. Oops. Enjoy!_

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**Chapter 7 (Tobias)**

As suspected, the members of the Council aren't too pleased with our display and are waiting for us when we depart our car. I don't have to answer to them and neither does Christina. We are the leaders. They answer to _us_. I can feel my sour mood creeping into the joy of what happened earlier. I don't like it. I may not have always been a happy man but I am a little happy now and so is she. I can see it in her eyes and the way she brushes down her wind swept hair.

Under any other circumstances, we would all go into the office and discuss what had happened and what had been said to us but I don't feel much like being confined in this suit for any longer. So, I send everyone on their way with an eight o'clock meeting time the next morning. A few seem relieved and leave almost immediately. Johanna and Conrad do not. They head inside and I watch them as they disappear. If they're trying to hide, they're doing a bad job of it.

Christina turns to make her way to the second entrance, the one reserved for the police. She must check her firearms back into the armory and take inventory before she can leave. It shouldn't be a long process but I'm not sure I can wait that long. I don't know what's worse. The confinement of my suit or the heat of need. Despite it, I find myself hanging around the door until she comes back out.

"Four? What the hell?" She asks, surprised that I'm still standing there, hands in my pockets, looking lost and out of place. "I thought you left already."

I shrug. "I didn't want you going home by yourself."

If that isn't the lamest thing I have ever said, I don't know what is.

She can see through the lie. Of course she can. She saw through me on the train, she can see through me now.

"Liar," she says with a smirk.

I nod. There's nothing more I can really say. Anything else would be a train wreck.

She seems to understand as I begin to head off to my flat. I don't ask her to follow me. If I did, I would just muck it up. If she wants to, so be it. If she doesn't, I'm no one to force her. I get a couple of steps away from her and I can feel her body next to mine, feel the charge of electricity in the air. I've only done this once and now I'm terrified of doing it again. It'll either destroy us or make us unstoppable. I'm secretly hoping for the latter.

The walk up the stairs in my building is arduous and silent. I fiddle with my keys when we arrive at the door and I know she knows I'm nervous. Am I that easy to read? I remember when she used to fear me and whisper behind my back. It's odd feeling so exposed to her right now. Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

"We don't-"

"Shut up," she whispers, cutting me off before her lips find mine.

A heady sigh escapes my chest. It's been too long since I felt the touch of another woman. I feel like I'm being unfaithful to Tris but wouldn't she be happy I'm moving on? Maybe not with her best friend. I'll never know but at that precise moment, I didn't care. Christina had burrowed under my skin. She made me feel alive. Like right now, I could hear the steady hum of need and passion in my veins. I could feel the surge of tension and the crackle of desire.

Her fingers find the skin of my neck, tracing the line right above the collar of my shirt. I shudder as she pulls back just enough to speak against me.

"As nice as this is, it'd be even better if we were inside."

I have to suppress a laugh. I turn to unlock my door and open it but her soft fingers never stop their excursion over my skin. Dauntless didn't have time to weather her hands like they had mine and Tris'. It's a different feeling for me. I didn't know if it was good or bad but, then again, I didn't have much time to think about think anything when she shuts the door behind us and immediately begins to unbutton my jacket. I'm sure I look as fascinated as I feel as I watch her.

She reaches the bottom button and slides her hands to my shoulders, pushing off the offending fabric. I feel a weight lifted from me. That suit has became my life and I don't like it. I don't think she likes it either. The shirt I wear takes a little bit more time than the jacket and though she doesn't like the ensemble, I know she's dragging it out. I know she's teasing me. Every so often, her fingernails scratch my skin and I hiss in a breath. Every time I do, her hands become unsteady.

This time, when she's finished unbuttoning and she pushes off my shirt, her hands remain on my shoulders. She traces the lines of muscle delicately, reverently, like she's memorizing me in a way that Tris never did. I have to stop that. Comparing her to Tris. Christina is nothing like Tris and I think that's why I like her. My thoughts stop in their tracks as she traces further down my body. She touches every inch of my chest before she settles her hands on the lines of my hips. I can barely breathe.

"Why did you stop?"

It takes a moment for her to form a reply, but when she does, her voice is husky and layered with need.

"I want to make sure you're okay with this."

I frame her face with my hands, my thumbs brushing tenderly across her cheek. "I am more than okay. I promise." I pause a moment, then I quietly ask, "Are _you_?"

She looks down at her hands and runs her fingers back and forth for a moment, idylly teasing me. I growl out a moan. Curse this woman.

"Easy tiger," is all she says before her mouth is on mine again, hot and needy and moving urgently despite the slow path her fingers make. For a moment, I entertain the notion of pushing her against the door and ravaging her, to feel her legs around my waist and her fingernails on my shoulders. Another groan makes it's way from my lips and when it does, her tongue slips into my mouth and tangles with mine. Damn. It. I push my hands through her short, dark, hair and tug her head back gently, pulling away from her to trail my mouth down her exposed neck. I hear her whimper and it's enough to break my resolve.

In a fluid motion, my hands are gone from her hair and on her shoulders, tugging at her clothes and pushing up her against the door. She is surprised at first but she quickly recovers, bending over my shoulder to nip at the hollow point between it and my neck. My legs threaten to give out at that moment. She is so perfect and she knows it. She has me wrapped around her finger and I don't think I ever want to change that. Not now. Not ever. But, I know they're empty promises to myself. She'll never replace Beatrice Prior.

I manage to growl out a command which she manages to obey. She tears herself away from my skin to sit back so I can remove her shirt. I toss it over to the corner of the room and make quick work of her bra which soon lands on top of the heap. I take a moment to stare at her, silently asking one more time if she's okay and she simply nods. That's all I need to know before I bend and my mouth closes around a raised peak, sucking at it with little abandon. Another whimper sounds from her and her hands are in my hair, desperately seeking for purchase against the pleasure.

With her hands still in my hair, I move to kiss her sternum then give her equal attention to the other raised peak. I feel her relax under me and I double the effort before I release her and begin to tug at her pants. A hand splays on the small of her back to keep her steady as I tug the black trousers down and toss them with the rest of her clothes. She is beautiful.

"Tobias..." My name on her voice like that, all wanton and heated, makes a shiver run down my spine. "Not like this."

I pull back to place a soft kiss on her lips. "I know. I won't."

I bend down to hoist her up and cradle her in my arms. She wraps her arms around my neck and I carry her to my room. I had forgotten how messy it was but I don't think she minds. I hope she doesn't mind. I lay her gently down on the bed, both my hands on either side of her. They're shaking with exertion and restraint. I bend down to capture her lips again and she begins to fiddle with the snap on my jeans. My mind is a roller coaster of things I want to do and say but I can't quite manage it.

I try to keep myself from shuddering, trying to keep the pleasure and attention on her, but when my jeans are unfastened, she rolls me over, takes control. I'm not sure where my clothes end up but I hear them hit the floor before she's sliding down on me. My hips jerk in surprise as I moan. Fucking hell.

The night passes like that. Silent and demanding and heated and passionate. I feel exposed to her and she to me. We are open wounds just trying to navigate the world. When the sun begins to peek through the dark curtains, she is in my arms, panting heavily and coming down from her high. I am too but I am more raw than I was hoping to be. Tears sting the back of my eyelids and I try to tamp them down before she sees. I'm a wreck. My mind is still a roller coaster. I wonder how she's holding up.

I turn to look at her and she appears as frazzled as I feel. It broke us. This...thing that we tried to do. This thing that we _did_ do. She is no Tris. She knows that. I know that. Maybe we can still be friends.

I don't voice that hope. She is close to breaking down and I wouldn't want to break her further.

"We'll be okay, right?" she asks me after a long while. I'm surprised she spoke first.

"Yeah, we will be."

"Liar," she says and her voice cracks.

I can't bare to think that she believes me to lie about this. I won't let her. I cup her cheek gently and stare intently at her, hoping to convey what I can't form into words.

"We _will_ be. You and I? We're all that's left. I trust you, Christina. I don't trust anyone else. Do you understand?"

She nods, tilting her head into my touch. Thank goodness. I don't want to lose her. She is my saving grace at the moment and for better or for worse, she is keeping me sane. She is keeping me grounded. I am forever in her debt and it's a debt I'll never be able to pay back to her. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't know who I was. We are in this together and whatever happens, will happen.

"Thank you," Chris whispers and I smile and kiss her forehead.

"You're welcome."

She closes her eyes and falls asleep against me. I stay away, watching her for as long as I can until I too follow suit.


	8. Chapter 8 (Judith)

_A/N: This wasn't supposed to happen like this but surprise! You guys are so damned smart! This is why I love you and why I write for you. This may seem a little rushed but the next Judith chapter will be slowed down. Things clicking into place less maniacally. Promise. Enjoy!_

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**Chapter 8 (Judith)**

I awake the next morning with a start, like I had been running and running and had reached the edge of a cliff and with no where to go, I had to jump. The falling was easy. A breeze whipped my hair around my face and my limbs felt weightless. It was almost like I was flying. It would've been nice to sprout wings and soar away from the sterile environment that was my home. But, alas, I was still in the hospital bed with fire for legs and rocks in my stomach. I don't remember landing, but I remember strong arms holding me up and helping me get my feet on solid ground.

Who did the strong arms belong to? And why did my heart seem to flutter with excitement when the hands curled around my hips? Even though I'm awake, the place those hands touched burns with electricity. Who was it?

I try to wrack my brain but nothing comes of it. I am alone. Confused. Like always. I turn to look at the bags of fluid strung up on the racks beside me and I see that my nurses have already been to administer my medicine. Odd. No one woke me up. Usually medicine is followed by exercise. My routine has been broken and I'm not sure what to do with myself. Maggie isn't even here. She is usually here every morning for some reason or other. But, not today.

Why do I suddenly feel like a leper? My hands fly up to touch my face. I haven't deformed overnight, have I? I feel around and breathe a sigh of relief. Nothing. It still doesn't quell my fears.

The door of my room suddenly opens and a nurse comes bustling in. It isn't Adora or the new one Mels. It someone else entirely. Someone I've never seen before. An uneasy feeling rises in my stomach and lurches into my throat. I swallow back a knot that's formed and wipe my hands on the fabric of my sheets. My hands sweat nervously. That's a tic I've found. A tic that seems familiar.

The woman approaches my bed and I can see a syringe held in her hands, her fingers curled tightly around the glass vial like it's some sort of lifeline. No. No, no. Not like this. Not an injection.

"We're going to try something different today, Judith. This should help the pain in your legs."

How did she know about the pain in my legs? Last I checked, everyone thought I was paralyzed from the waist down.

"You're not getting anywhere near me with that."

She stops and stares at me curiously. "You've never objected before."

That is a lie. I think.

"I am now. Get that thing away from me."

The woman's eyes narrow dangerously and she almost looks familiar. I know her. Her voice, her hair, the blue handkerchief tucked in her scrub pocket. She is Erudite. She knows who I am. Her name is Cara. Why do I know this? She isn't wearing a name tag but I just _know_. It doesn't matter now. She is still approaching my bed and she is readying the syringe to plunge into my neck. Hell. No. I scream. I scream long and loud and I thrash in my bed. I will not be injected. This is not what I signed up for.

As she approaches me, flashes of memory dance across my mind. A boy, tall and strong, brushes my hair back tenderly before he too injects me with something. Time and time again, I am injected but the boy is always there in some way or another. He is always watching like a silent sentry. The next time I scream, I scream out for him. He is the only thing I remember with clarity but, eventually, that changes too. The next thing I know, I see myself injecting an amber liquid in my arm with ease. I don't trust anyone else to do it. Why? Is this where the fear stems from? I scream again.

"Judith, calm down."

But I won't calm down. I keep screaming. I want someone to save me. I want Adora. I yell that into her face but she won't back away from the side of the bed. If she's not careful, I'll punch her in her pretty nose. It would give me pleasure to punch her right now. Another flash of memory. I am in what looks to be a boxing ring. I am on the floor. A brunette is standing over me. A woman. I get up and deck her in the nose, the ribs, the chest. I kick her when she's down. I keep kicking. I am vicious. No one takes advantage of me.

The door opens again and this time it isn't Adora. It's Peter. Like I want that scumbag near me either. Maybe this is what they meant when they said I was a hellion. Maybe I am. Maybe this is who I am. A fighter. Dauntless. Brave. Unwavering. I'm not the faction they say I was. I am not Abnegation. Judith is not the name I need.

"What is going on here?" The sound of Peter's voice stops my raging memories and I am still ready to fight off Cara if need be.

"She won't take the medicine, Peter."

His eyebrow shoots up into his hairline. "This isn't like you Judith."

"That's not my name," I say, my voice deathly calm.

He looks amused and I want to punch him too. "Oh? What is your name, then?"

I pause, the erratic beeping of my heart monitor the only sound in the ensuing silence. What is my name? It isn't Judith. How can a name so...quiet and unassuming represent who I'm supposed to be? I am not this weakling they say I am. I am far more than that, but my mind doesn't give me any answer I am hopeful for, just rehashes of memories I've already seen once today. I want Johanna. I want Adora. I remain silent and don't answer the question. I am who I am. It doesn't matter what my name is.

"I'm still not being injected."

"You don't have a choice." His voice is sharp.

"Everyone has a choice."

Cara looks between Peter and I with obvious fear. It looks like she doesn't poke his anger either. I have a death wish, obviously. I love to prod at him with everything I am.

"Not you, Stiff. Let Cara do her job."

I glare at him, my eyes thin slits as rage builds and builds inside of me. "I know who you are. I know what you've done."

He is livid. I can see the blush of anger rising into his cheeks. How could I possibly know what he's done when I don't even know myself? I glare at him as he glares back and like the cogs of a machine, things start clicking into place. I know he'll say something stupid that's meant to be witty or whatever. I don't like anything he says. I don't like him. There's _nothing_ I like about him. Never has been, never will be. He's as friendly as a deadly anaconda and I won't be drawn into his lair. I won't be drawn into any of their lies and deceit and I certainly won't be injected with some mystery serum. Is that what it was? A serum? Weren't they banned?

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of his obnoxious, nasally voice. "You don't know me."

"Neither do you," I snap back almost immediately. Cara is still looking nervously between us.

"Inject her. Now."

I barely have time to react before Cara is plunging the syringe into my neck. I let out a scream but Peter knows how to make me silent. He hits me, hard, in the temple and the last thing I remember before going under is that I do know what he's done. I am not Judith Reyes or some other stupid name they may have come up with. I am someone else entirely and despite what Johanna may say about him, he is too. When he hit me, I saw the face of an old initiate. A former transfer to Dauntless who ended up without an eye, who ended up factionless because Peter Hayes knows no boundaries to violence or getting his way. I was the one who cleaned up the mess of it all. I was the one who scrubbed blood from a stone floor. I know where I belong. I know where I should be. I know who I am.

My name is Six.

I am alive.

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_A/N (2): See? Told you it was rushed. We haven't really seen all of what they've done to her for two years but she has been racing toward this moment for a while as seen in the first chapter. As I said, the next "Judith" chapter will be a slower recollection than this. Call the serum a trigger, if you will. She's been remembering all these things and then bam, suddenly, she is presented with something that is inherently tied to who she used to be and what caused all of this. And I love how she's automatically going with "Six" like it's her real name. Like Four. 3 See? Told you they're made for each other. _


	9. Chapter 9 (Tobias)

_A/N: Oh my god, I am horrible. Horrible. Horrible. Horrible. Just...ugh, don't judge me. Life got crazy. I dtill haven't seen_ Insurgent, _I haven't even finished _Divergent _the book yet. Like...whut? Blame Doctor Who. Anyway, here is Chapter 9. *throws confetti* I knew I would finish it eventually. So terribly sorry about the wait. And, yeah, I jumped on the Chris/Four train for the moment. But don't worry! It'll change!_

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**Chapter 9 (Tobias)**

I awoke the next morning to a weak beam of orange light streaming in from a crack in the makeshift curtains which hung in my room. Our limbs were tangled together loosely over the ransacked sheets, the bare, chocolate, skin of Chris's back catching a few more errant sunbeams as she shifted in her sleep. I didn't want to wake her. The events of the night previous still throbbed like an open wound and the longer she was asleep, the longer I had to compose myself. I had too many thoughts in my head, too many fears of what may happen when we finally faced the inevitable. It was bound to happen. I knew I should plan for the next step.

Some time passes and soon, the alarm clock is going off rather loudly. I try to turn it off before it can completely disrupt Christina but it's no use. Her brown eyes flutter open and she's automatically staring at me like she's trying to figure out what happened the night before. The cogs click in her head for a few moments before they pause and fix into place and her face falls. I can see the tendril of fear unfurling inside of her and it shows plainly on every part of her until she is awkwardly untangling herself from me and positioning herself on the edge of the bed, her back hunched and facing me.

I sit up myself and brush my weathered fingers over her upper arm gently. Whether it's to ground me or comfort her, I can't tell. Her body slumps more and she is on the verge of saying something. I can hear it in her breathing and the way she fiddles with the hem of the sheets. She doesn't get very far as a sudden, insistent knocking sounds downstairs at the front door. I glance back at the clock with a frown. It's way before eight AM. Johanna shouldn't be here this early. No other citizen knew where I lived and I'd be damned if anyone else on the Council did either. This was my private place.

The knocking continued and with a groan, I slid out of bed and threw on some flannel pants. Before I headed down the stairs, I turned to look at Chris and smiled gently, reassuringly.

"Stay here. I'll bring up your clothes when I'm done okay?" She nods but doesn't look at me. "Hey," I say softly and bend to cup her cheek, turning her face so her gaze is on me. "I meant what I said before. You and I will be fine. I promise."

It seems to work because her eyes brighten a little and her lips curl upward in a tiny grin. I kiss her forehead before I'm out and heading down the stairs, the insistent knocking persisting. It's rather grating this early in the morning.

When I open the door, I'm not sure who I expect but I know for a fact it sure wasn't anyone who had the names Caleb and Prior but, it is exactly him and he barges in before I can deny him entrance. As if I needed a reason to dislike him any more than I already did.

"I didn't say you could come in," I snap as I shut the door with a forceful slam.

"I worked all night last night. I figured out a few of the pamphlets and thought I should come to you before you went to see the Council." Of course, he ignores me and my curtness. Christ, this boy.

"This really isn't a good time, Caleb."

"You really don't have a choice," his voice matches my annoyance.

It takes me a minute to recover. I wasn't expecting that and I have no choice but to motion him into the living room. He glances me over and I can tell he's trying to figure out why I am only half dressed. I usually never open myself up for that kind of open scrutiny. It's then his gaze falls on the pile of clothes strewn over the floor. His eyes flick between me and the mess a few times before I can see the rage building up in his body. Fuck.

"Caleb, this isn't-"

"What? What is it? You- you think I'm just a clueless monster, is that it? You fucked her, didn't you? Wait, no, don't answer that. I can answer it myself." There is a pause as he approaches the base of the stairs. "Christina?" He calls sweetly, like he isn't fuming and steam isn't coming from his ears.

Bless her, she either can't read the fury in his voice or she doesn't realise who it is and she pops her head from my room, obviously covering her state of undress. Goddamn it all.

"Tobias, did you-" And the penny drops as soon as her eyes fall on Caleb. "Caleb," she breathes, her eyes widening to the size of cup saucers. "What- what is going on?"

"What is going on?" He roars. "What is going on? Why don't you come down here and I'll tell you what's going on. Come on. Don't be shy."

I can feel fear rising in my chest as I watch him closely. I don't think I've ever seen him this angry and it's probably a good thing, too. I curse myself for not having a suitable weapon to detain him with in case he gets out of control. I'll just have to take a hands on approach if I needed to. I have a feeling that's how it'll all end.

It takes Chris a few minutes to come down the stairs and when she does, she's wearing one of my t-shirts and a pair of sweatpants. She looks scared too as she edges pass Caleb to stand beside me. I take her hand, twining our fingers together and squeezing ever so gently.

After a long moment of silence, she finally speaks, her voice cautious and soft. "Caleb, why don't you calm down?"

A breath of a pause and a switch is thrown. In two long strides, he approaches the pile of clothes we threw in the corner the night before and he picks up a handful of them before he stalks back in front of us. He throws the clothes at us, my pants hitting me in the face but I take it. I won't lash out at him. Not yet. Christina is shaking beside me as she catches her thrown underwear with a shamed look spread plainly on her face.

"Calm down? I don't think you understand the weight of your actions right now. I will not and cannot calm down. You know- you know, I thought-" He is struggling from completely losing control. I can see it in his eyes. They tear up with hot, angry tears, a few slide down unwarranted onto his cheeks.

"You- you two were supposed to be her friends. Her friends. Does that mean nothing to you? Noting at all?"

"Caleb," Christina tries again but is promptly cut off.

"Don't you dare 'Caleb' me. She may be dead, I get that, but, she was your friend." He turns sharply to face me. "Do you think if you died, she'd go and fuck Peter after two years? Or Uriah?" When I don't answer, he continues. "Exactly. Exactly. You two-" He takes a few deep breaths to calm himself as best as he can. When he speaks again, his voice is a low, dangerous whisper. "I will find Judith Reyes on my own. I no longer require your help and you two will no longer seek me out. Johanna could be planning on murdering the entire Council, it still doesn't mean I'll help you."

He turns to leave, his hands clenched tightly at his side. We both remain silent as we watch him. He has the door open when he turns to face us again. Christina has tears welling in her eyes and I can tell she is trying her hardest to not let them fall.

"I hope you two fucking rot in hell." He slams the door behind him so hard, a picture falls from my wall.

That went well.

When Christina and I walk into the conference room at eight o'clock, I know we look like hell. I feel like hell. I'm not so sure about her. She looks okay on the outside, but, I'm dreading what she may be thinking and feeling on the inside. Whatever it is, it can't be good. After Caleb's outburst, I can't imagine what she is thinking is anything good. I know my thoughts aren't good. I'm nervous. If he lets anything slip...I can't think about that. My status as leader of this council won't change because I slept with Christina. We made it a point to promise that it would never happen again and it wouldn't.

Johanna's eyes are on me as soon as we walk in. She is sitting by Conrad and I have to keep myself from reacting. Conrad is important to whatever is going on in the former Amity sector. If Caleb wasn't going to help us anymore, so be it. I wasn't stupid. I could do this on my own.

When I finally compose myself, I clear my throat and turn my attention to the other members of the Council.

"Where are with the Candor sector? How are the people? Have there been any problems?"

And that's how the entire morning goes. Asking questions. Fielding problems. It's a well oiled machine that I wish would just stop. It was too much to ask, though. Stopping meant conceding something was wrong and to be honest, I didn't want Johanna and Conrad to know. This investigation would play like it was supposed to save for the hiccup Christina and I encountered earlier.

By the time lunch rolls around, my suit sleeves are pushed up over my elbows, my jacket draped over one of the many office chairs lined around the big oak table in the middle of the room. A few of our members ate food from the cafeteria in little Styrofoam containers with plastic forks.

"About Caleb Prior."

"What about him?" Christina pipes up. "He isn't doing anything wrong. There is nothing in the rules and laws that prevents him from going to other sectors of the city. If there were, we would be no better than Jeanine or the previous system. Wouldn't you agree?"

Christina's words silence the Council. I'm not even sure who spoke. I'm assuming it was Conrad but I can't be too sure.

"What he's doing is tampering in our records, our private stores of information." It's Johanna who speaks then and if I had any doubt about her involvement in what's going on, it was quickly squashed by those words.

"The private stores of information, as you call it, should be available to all citizens not just you and your sector, Johanna."

"What we are doing-"

"What you are doing is withholding vital information that could be used and practiced in all of the sectors." Christina is staring me as I continue talking. Should I play my cards this quickly? Yes, I think so. "Who is Judith Reyes?"

The air in the conference room seems to vanish and a few members, Susan Black included, tug at the collars of their shirts. Pressed and dressed and sweating bullets. That was unexpected. My gaze falls on each one of the members and every single one of them look guilty. Their faces were pale, their eyes glazed and shifting. Back in Dauntless, when I was working in intelligence, I got really good at reading people. Some of it came from Abnegation and the putting of others before oneself but mostly, my investigations were done based on gut instinct and the ability to figure people out. This was no exception.

Johanna and Conrad exchange nervous glances. Mostly, the nerves come from Conrad. Johanna, on the other hand, is fuming. I could see it in her eyes and the way her jaw clenched and unclenched. It all happened in a split second. Blink and you'd miss it. My brown eyes land on Christina who looks like she's seen a ghost.

"Judith Reyes is a private citizen, Four."

I bristle. "Judith Reyes is being hidden from the governing body of this state. If we were to look in the birth records, would there be a certificate with her name on it?" When she doesn't answer, I continue. "What are you using her for?"

"Judith is a very sick woman. We are currently hoping to make her better."

"Are you testing on her?"

Christina is getting paler by the second. I notice a minute shake of her head when my gaze happens upon her again but I don't stop. I am angry. First Caleb and now this?

Johanna's gaze catches mine and there is steel in her brown eyes. "Yes."

I shoot another gaze to Christina then my eyes lock back on Johanna. "Candor, is she telling the truth?"

The use of her old nickname snaps her to attention and she answers with a shaky, "Yes."

"What kind of tests?"

"That's none of your business," Johanna says as she stands. "This meeting is adjourned. We will meet here at eight o'clock tomorrow to resume our visitations."

The rest of the members begin gathering their things, stuffing papers and books and pens into rook sacks and briefcases.

"Wait," I demand as I stand to address them. Johanna hasn't had the ability to leave yet but I can see her approaching the door. "From now on, per my order, the sectors are no longer to be called sectors. They are to be called cities. Also, the publication of pamphlets or anything similar is to be done through Susan Black. Susan, you are relieved of your previous post. We will find someone to take your place soon. You are all dismissed."

The wide eyes of the Council stare at me for a brief moment before they're all shoving things in bags and throwing away trash and hurrying out the door. Johanna is last to leave and when she does, she is glaring at me, eyes obsidian with anger and then she is gone, leaving Chris and I alone in the room.

I collapse back in my chair and press my fingers to my eyelids until I see stars.

"That was stupid," Chris says after a few moments. She approaches me with pursed lips and a mirthless expression. "Very stupid." She walks behind me and slender hands are suddenly working my tense shoulders. I was not expecting that but as she continues, I lean into her touch.

"What else was I supposed to do?"

"Gee, I dunno, play dumb for a while? Like it would've killed you."

"It probably would've," I murmur through a smirk.

"Ha. Ha," she teases as she continues her massage. Maybe what happened last night hadn't damaged us so badly after all. "At least you had sense to keep her from publishing anything else. I will arrange a transport to go and pick up the printing press this afternoon."

"Do it quickly. I want everything locked down and confiscated and brought here. To a secure room, mind you. One Johanna can't get to."

Her hands slide off my shoulders and she bends to press a kiss to the top of my head. "On it, Four," she whispers and before I can protest, she is gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Maybe moving on wasn't such a bad thing, despite Caleb's outburst. Maybe it is exactly what I needed.


	10. Chapter 10 (Judith)

_A/N: Hey, so you're not waiting six months for an update. How about them apples? This is progress. I'm proud of myself but I am terribly sorry that you had to wait that long and hopefully you won't have to between this chapter and the next. I hope you enjoy this installment. As always, this work is unbeta'd and if you catch an error in continuity, let me know! I've still not read any of the series and I still need to watch _Insurgent_ uninterrupted so, there's always that. ;)_

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**Chapter 10 (Judith)**

The serum left me feeling woozy when I finally woke up. Its effects weren't any I had experienced with a serum before and it made my distrust of the entire operation multiply tenfold. Why was I here? What was the point to this? I tried to move, to sit up in the hospital bed but a firm hand stopped me in my tracks. I looked up and I saw the scared face of Adora peering back at me.

Adora. She was a sight for sore eyes. I wasn't sure how long I had been out but it felt like it had been months. My legs felt like lead and my arms felt even heavier. No, serums didn't have that affect on me. What in the hell had Cara injected me with? I tried to think, to force the cogs in my head to turn but Adora had other plans.

Another face suddenly stepped in my line of vision and I nearly came unglued. Cara. She was here. What fresh hell was this? She had just probably tried to kill me, per Peter's orders.

I struggled against Adora's grip.

"Let me go," I hissed fiercely.

"Lay back down."

That was all she said and I could hear the command in the tone even if her face still read nervousness. Okay, I'll bite. So, I sat back in the bed and just stared at the two people in front of me. Memories were still fighting back at me. Memories that made no sense. Memories that brought a sharp pain to my chest. In the night, I dreamed of my parents. I know they're dead and the dream was more like a nightmare they came to me and they forgave me but...I forgave myself a long time ago. I didn't cause their deaths. They died from the circumstances surrounding them at the time. Their choices defined them and saved me. Andrew and Natalie. Their names would be seared on my mind for years and years to come, even if I didn't know anything else.

That was when Cara spoke. "Beatrice Prior. That's your name. You born into Abnegation. You transferred to Dauntless."

Beatrice. The name was foreign. It was weak and diminutive. It was a ghost. No, my name was _not_ Beatrice. It couldn't be. Could it?

It was like they could read my mind, or maybe my confusion was written plainly on my face. That was a possibility. My ability at hiding wasn't what it could be or what it used to be. Of course that comes with my inability to remember anything. Even with the name, I couldn't place anything but my parents. Dad was a member of the Council for the city. I remember Abnegation being the peacekeepers of the city. They helped the Factionless and of course, they're actions were judged by the Erudites and everyone else who thought them to be lying, hoarding, annoyances. Mom transferred from Dauntless. I remember her in the fire fight during the massacre. She was so brave.

Where did I fit in all this? Beatrice? The one with a ghost like name and memories not associated with Abnegation, or Dauntless, really.

"Before you could finish your initiation, Jeanie Matthews began the Abnegation massacre. You and Tobias Eaton managed to stop her. But it didn't stop there. You were labeled as Divergent. Jeanie thought you all threatened the system. She ordered a city wide manhunt for you, Tobias, and your brother, Caleb. Caleb abandoned you. Thought Jeanie was the better fit for him. He transferred from Abnegation to Erudite.

"There was a box Jeanie was trying to open. It was supposed to be the key to our civilization. A message from the past..."

Cara continued but to be honest, I stopped listening. All of this was too much. It was almost like I had been thrust into something I could never compete with. This all sounded too much. Far too much for one person to have been through and it certainly couldn't have been me.

When she is finished with her story, I frown and I know both her and Adora are regarding me with curiosity, waiting for me to miraculously click all my memories together and be the same old Beatrice. No, not Beatrice. Six. My name is Six.

"I don't..." They're waiting on a response and damn, I don't really have one.

It's not like I don't believe them. I do. I've dreamed of all these things plenty of times in the last two years but, it doesn't seem real. My story is my own. It's no one else's and their explanation of things seemed intimate knowledge.

"It's okay," Adora says in her gentle, yet gruff tone that is entirely hers. "It's a lot to take in, we understand."

It was and being able to formulate a coherent sentence was proving difficult too.

Cara pipes up soon after Adora, as if she can read my mind. "It's the effects of the medicine. After the Bureau was destroyed, a lot of their advanced medications and their research was destroyed too. We had to make due. So, we started engineering serums. That's where Adora comes in."

"And Peter?" My throat feels dry and my voice is about thirty times huskier than it usually is and it makes me frown even more.

"Peter is here for your protection."

Lies. I could tell the way Adora's eyes flicked off to the side when she was telling me. So, they want me to remember. They are telling me these things so I _can_ remember, yet, Peter is still a mystery.

"Peter isn't like me. I am special. You've told me this. You can't lie about him for forever."

I'm right and they know it. It reads plainly on their faces. Of course I'm not going to get any answers. Not like this. I still don't remember enough. I'm Divergent. This, I've figured out myself. From all the memories and information I've pieced together and now with what they've told me, I know that's why I'm here. I'm here because of my genes and my predisposition for chaos among order.

"You're here for one thing. So is Peter. All will be revealed in due time," Cara says as she begins to move to the door.

I can feel the skin of my brow creasing and furrowing with frustration and contempt and confusion. I'm here for a purpose. They're engineering serums. That's why Adora is here. I remember hearing about her from Erudite. She was Jeanie's pet. Yet, she's not locked up or dead.

"Medicine," I say suddenly. They both turn to look at me. "You're developing medicinal serums. Divergents resist serums so you need one to test things out on."

They neither confirm or deny. They simply share a smile and leave me alone to the sound of my beeping heart monitor.

xxxxxx

I spend all day thinking about what I've been told, trying to piece together my jumbled up brain. I was Beatrice Prior. I was born Abnegation but I transferred to Dauntless. I am Divergent. I did a lot of impossible things before I ended up bed ridden in between four white walls with no windows and one door to my freedom. I took on an entire Faction. I opened a box that contained a message from our past regarding our future. Divergents were saved. I climbed over a wall and entered a toxic wasteland. I defeated David and the Bureau of Genetic Welfare. I helped win the Genetic War.

Now, I was just a paralyzed test subject for Adora and Johanna to play with.

None of that bothered me. If Cara and Adora are telling me what is going on, that means something is happening. Someone is searching for me, they have to be. My revenge is coming, I can feel it in my bones and the way I'm getting stronger.

The only thing I can't figure out is Peter. I am remembering my own life like an outsider looking in but what about him? He forgot. He was injected with a serum sometime after I was. Did he do it manually or did he have someone else do it? Has he been here the whole time, or was he summoned from another city after they found me? How long has been here 'protecting' me?

There were far too many questions and not enough answers and the moment Mels finally bustled in for my 'medicine' and my therapy, I immediately asked for him to be sent in. She looked confused and almost moved to protest but I'm sure the look I shot her was both menacing and withering and she complied. Under any other circumstance, I wouldn't have wanted to see Peter but this occasion called for it.

I wasn't prepared for him when he finally came in. The lines around his eyes looked deeper. His face looked more drawn in anger than I had ever seen it. Was he finally remembering too?

"I have a few questions. You don't have to answer if you don't want. I'll figure them out myself if you don't."

"Listen, Stiff-"

"No," I snap fiercely. "_You_ listen to _me, _Peter. I want answers and I want them _now_." That shut his trap and he glares at me with a fury that makes my stomach burn with fear.

"What do you remember of your old life?"

His eyes narrow. At first he doesn't respond but I can see him thinking. I can see him struggling.

"I was born in Candor. I transferred to Dauntless at the ceremony. We were initiates together."

"So you tell the truth. How instilled is that in you still?" If his eyes narrow any further, they'd be screwed shut. But, still I continue. "Let's try this again. What is Johanna planning?"

That actually throws him for a loop and his eyes widen and his entire expression reads confusion and surprise.

"I don't understand."

"Jesus Christ, Peter. Cut the bullshit and just tell me what she's doing to you. Why can I remember and you can't?"

He is silent for a long moment. "I don't know."

Right. Of course not. Okay. Another question.

"Why did you stab Edward?" Of all the things I remember and don't remember, this sticks in my head, unflinching. I remember the blood. I remember the smell of iron. I remember the screams.

His answer is as unflinching as my memory. "I wanted to be first."

The thing is, he will never be first. He never was first and if anyone is going to figure out this tangled web of mystery, it'll be me and not him and that's what irks him the most. That's what causes him to keep secrets. That's what will be his undoing.

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_A/N (2): Ooh, things are heating up! The next chapter will return to Four, Christina and the Council's visit to the former Dauntless compound and Zeke! Woot! Stay tuned!_


	11. Chapter 11 (Tobias)

_A/N: I think I need to have the laptop taken away from me. I said that this chapter would focus on Zeke and the visit to Dauntless but I started writing and this is what happened. Apologies. I am also warning you ahead of time that there are mentions of Chris and Tobias. Both getting it on and just being together and moving on from what happened. I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH that this is all part of the plan and if you haven't figured it out by now, well...get on it, man. ;) _

* * *

**Chapter 11 (Tobias)**

The moving of the printing press and other affiliated machines and files went quite well and by the end of the day, everything was moved to a securely locked room in O'Hare. Susan wasn't entirely sure what she was to do but Chris and I showed her that nothing was as hard as it seemed and this job wasn't an exception. She didn't even get a key to the door. I made sure of it. Only Christina and I had it and it remained on my key ring as did it on Chris's. We weren't taking any chances.

Following the movement and helping Susan move out of her office into a new one beside the printing press, Christina left to do inventory then return home to rest up for the next stop in our tour. I had to wonder if she was psyching herself out for it. The former Dauntless compound held more than a few demons for her, for both of us. However, Zeke was happy there. His city was thriving. It had been since the dissolution of the Factions. He presided over many of the city's former Factionless. Rumor had it, it was where my mother lived. Another rumor pegged Evelyn as the unofficial second in command. If that rumor was true, I was going to be facing my own demons soon enough.

I pause outside the door to my apartment building and think about that. Did I really want to see Evelyn? It was bad enough the threat of running into Marcus was an every day affair. I couldn't back out of the stop. It was unheard of and forbidden. A sigh escapes my lips and I pull out my keys to go upstairs but something makes me pause even more.

With a jingle, I pocket my keys and I head off to the Candor compound in the middle of the city. The train rumbles over my head as I count the cracks in the pavement. It's the last train through the city for the night. There isn't a curfew around here. There never has been but most people, save for the former Dauntless members, retire indoors at dark and tonight is definitely no exception. No one walks the streets save for me and my thoughts. I cut a dangerous shadow under the street lamps and if anyone was lurking, they'd do well to steer clear of me.

A determined stride set my pace up the stairs and through the glass doors at the front of the building. I count four cameras, one in each corner of the lobby as I push through to the stairs. I was only here briefly during the war but I remember the way to the main office of the building. If Caleb is leader here, that's where he'll be. If the cameras move to follow me as I approach the door to the stairwell, I don't notice them. The whole point is letting him know that I'm here.

The climb doesn't take very long. I've made it a mission to remain physically fit in these quiet times. You never know when things will happen. I step out onto the main floor and there is a man with a gun to my left, the barrel pressed tightly to my temple.

"I thought I told you I would handle this myself."

The tone of my voice is not amused as I speak, "The safety's off, Prior. If you wanted to kill me, you would've already. A long time ago, in fact."

There is a slight shift in the air and the gun slowly drops away and I can hear the telltale sounds of it being holstered. I turn to watch as Caleb covers the gun with a jacket he wears pretty much at all times.

"Smart man," I murmur softly and straighten. "Alright, we need to clear the air, here."

"There is nothing to clear, Eaton."

"Yes, there is. If you want mine and Christina's help, you can't get mad at us and then shun us when all we're doing is protecting your ass from the Council."

"I can do that myself. I've been doing just fine on my own."

"Liar."

Caleb's brown eyes narrow fiercely but he certainly doesn't refute the statement. I didn't expect him to. The truth was, he needed our help and it went deeper than us just defending him in front of the rest of the Council. He may have been smart, but, well, deciphering pamphlets was just one piece of the puzzle.

He crosses the hall and motions for me to follow him into his make shift office. Once inside, he closes all the blinds by flicking a switch on the glass to the side of the door. The blinds close and he lights a lamp on the desk in the middle of the room and sits in the chair opposite to me, tenting his fingers and staring rather intensely at me. I don't show I'm uncomfortable as I sit down across from him, mirroring his stance with a quirked eyebrow.

"Intimidation doesn't scare me, Prior." He remains silent and after a few moments, I decide enough is enough. "Look, what happened between Christina and I-"

He stands and cuts me off and I just want to punch him in his sanctimonious face. "What happened between you two is something I _never_ wish to discuss with you. Ever. Is that understood?"

"Well, it isn't like you are a shining example of what's right and wrong either. So, we're even."

He is steaming, invisible smoke billowing from his ears. But, eventually, he sits back down with a composed expression.

"Why are you here, Tobias?"

"If you haven't already heard, the printing press has been moved from the fields to the O'Hare building. Susan is the head of printing now."

"Susan Black? Hm. No, no. She's part of Johanna's group. Someone else needs to be in charge. What about Cara?"

Susan? Part of Johanna's group? I try not to react, leveling my emotions so nothing reads on my face or in my eyes. At least she doesn't have the key. It doesn't mean she can't pick a lock or force a key to unlock the door. I pinch the bridge of my nose and I swear I promised to not react but I can't help the well of emotion boiling inside of me.

"Who else is in this little group of hers? You've never said."

"I'm sure you've figured out Conrad is," he says, quickly jumping into a businesslike rhythm. " Susan is as well. Adora, Peter, a Candor-born man named Nelson, a Dauntless-born woman who's name is unimportant, another Candor-born, and an Erudite-born but I don't know who it is. I think they work at the hospital. There could be others." He pauses and just as I'm about to speak, he cuts in again. "You never answered me about Cara."

"Cara disappeared. After you got fired from the labs, she just dropped off the face of the Earth. We looked for her but couldn't find her."

He mulls over these words and stands, pacing as he thinks. It's then, I start to think and realise...

"What does Johanna want with Peter? Why is he even here? You and I both know he took the Memory serum and left for Milwaukee after everything was said and done."

There is a pause in his pacing and he turns to me with a serious expression, his brows furrowed in thought. "If they're engineering medicinal serums there's a possibility they have a need to recreate the original Faction serums. The Memory serum was completely wiped out when it was used on the Bureau. If they need it for something, they'll have to use Peter's blood to remake it."

I feel dizzy. I should find the idea of Peter as a lab rat rather hysterical but this is no time for laughter or humour. So my theory was right. So was Caleb's. Johanna Reyes and Adora Miller were making more serums. Not as a means for a coup but for medication to help others. It still didn't explain Judith or why Johanna was hiding it from the Council every step of the way. The word games? The secrecy? Yes, the mention of serums was banned but medicinal serums? It was a breakthrough. Sure, we had hospitals and our own medications but what if death could be erased? Cancer cured? Diseases of the mind completely fixed. It could cause a revolution.

I try not to think of the implications this causes. The danger we could inherit. It could be worse than the war. This is far too alarming and I change the subject.

"And the Dauntless-born? Every name is important," I demand as a ringing begins in my ears.

I don't think I really want to know. The ringing gets louder.

"Tobias, she's really not important."

I slam my hands on the desk and force myself to stand, to be imposing in my anger. "Yes, she is."

He takes a step back from me and reaches for his gun, the holster unsnapping audibly in the ensuing silence.

"Her name is Lauren."

"You lie," I murmur through tightly clenched teeth.

"Why would I lie to you?"

"I don't know, because you like it?" It's my turn to pace the width of the room.

"Contrary to popular belief, lying makes me sick."

A snort escapes my throat and I glare at him. If lying made him sick, why was it so easy for him to betray us so many times? Why was it so easy to let Tris sacrifice herself for him? Why? Sure, it was easy to think Tris sacrificed herself because she was Divergent and raised in Abnegation so it wasn't a stretch. I argued that with myself so many times but even being raised in Abnegation myself, I would've never sacrificed myself for the likes of Caleb Prior.

So many more questions race through my head, I don't think I could ever fully answer them. When the freight train of emotions simmered to a slow boil, I finally was able to form a bit of coherent thought and thus a coherent sentence.

"That leaves at least two of her core group unaccounted for."

"I have my ideas but I don't think it'd be a good idea to discuss them now. You need a break and some sleep."

My eyes narrow. "You're not my nurse, Prior."

"No, but if we're still going to be working together, you need to be well aware and ready for anything."

He doesn't have to remind me of that either.

"Fine," I finally concede. "How many of the pamphlets have you deciphered?"

"Uh," he pauses and goes searching on his desk and, under a stack of papers and manila folders, he finds what he's looking for and pulls it out, flipping through the stapled sheets with ease. "About six."

"How many more do you have left?"

He thinks for a moment as he lays the papers in his hands down under the lamp. "About six more. Three months worth of pamphlets. It's fascinating information."

"Save it for when I'm with Christina." I turn and head toward the door. I am about to leave, my hand on the door knob, when I turn back to him. "It's okay to move on, Prior. It's part of the healing process. Perhaps you should look into it."

My tone isn't laced with malice or contempt. In fact, I genuinely think it's the right thing to do. Move on. It could do him some good. Of course, he doesn't answer and I can tell he's angry at me even mentioning it. Truthfully, I'm glad he didn't say anything. I like to convince myself I'm moving on with Christina but deep down, way in the back of my mind and under the scars in my heart, I still love Beatrice Prior with everything I am and everything I can be. I can't lie to myself like some people.

"Figure out the three people I'm missing and let me know what's going on."

"You'll know when I know."

He just nods and sits down at his chair, pulling a file from the stack and flipping it open. I'm about to leave again when his voice filters over to me.

"I don't recommend 'moving on', or whatever it is you think you're doing, with Christina. You may trust her because you don't have Beatrice to trust anymore, but it's a mistake. That girl has secrets and it's best you stay away from her."

Of course he would say that. It's that same familial protection bullshit he's been pulling since he found out Chris and I slept together. But it doesn't matter. I don't listen to him. I have no reason to. He betrayed us. Who's to say he isn't lying now? Who's to say he isn't betraying us now?

I simply nod in acknowledgment of the information and then I'm on my way out, down the stairs and into the night air to return to my flat.

xxxxxxxx

Christina is waiting for me when I return. Her brown hair pulled back into a tiny pony tail with clips holding back the excess hair from her face. I have to catch my breath. In the moonlight, she is exquisite, her ebony skin glowing like an untouchable star. Caleb's words echo and rattle in my mind but I push them away and manage a small smile as I approach her. She stands from her perch on the curb in front of my building and she smiles back at me, brightness in her eyes and her expression.

"And where have you been sneaking off to at this time of night?" She asks, her voice lilting and happy. It seems that the mornings apprehensions had disappeared throughout the day and there she was, with no care in the world.

"I went to talk to Prior over in his city."

She looks surprised. "And you didn't kill him?" she asks, teasing as I approach the door to unlock it.

"Truthfully, I thought he was going to do the killing. He greeted me with a gun to my head."

She looks surprised but then she dissolves into laughter as I open the door for her. She steps forward and climbs the stairs, all with that impossible grin on her face and I find myself relaxing. This was just like before we slept together and I silently wondered if things would return to this normal if we were to do it again.

"That sounds like Caleb."

She keeps climbing the steps past my apartment despite the fact that I had stopped at my door to unlock it and let her inside. Curious, I follow her all the way up to the top of the stairwell as she pushes open the door to the roof and hoists herself up onto the weathered blacktop, a soft wind tugging at loose tendrils of her hair.

I attempt to not look scared as she approaches the edge of the building and sits down, kicking her legs against the brick wall below her. It's then she peers backward at me with a wide smile.

"You act like you're scared of heights," she says teasingly.

"Me? Whoever said such a thing?"

She rolls her eyes and remains planted on that edge. I swallow back my fear and move to sit beside her. I don't look down. I can't look down but I do look out to the horizon. The city is dark. The small smattering of the lights of night faring citizens shine like little stars in the blackness and I can't help but notice the overwhelming glow in the distance over the wall.

"How long has that been noticeable?"

Her gaze lands on that same glow and she sighs softly. "I don't know. I've started noticing it too. I suppose it's always been there but we chose not to pay attention."

I fall quiet and watch the light a little longer before I fall back onto the roof and peer up at the stars. A few moments later, she is laying next to me, tracing the stars with a delicate finger. She traces over one particular one and I smile.

"That's Orion."

I know she's wearing a smug expression that is both impressed and surprised. "You only know it because of the belt. It's the easiest to find."

"I do not and it is not," I say and point to another constellation. "That's the Big Dipper."

I can almost hear her rolling her eyes and I pull myself from the edge and sit cross legged beside her, peering down at her. I watch the steady rise and fall of her chest for a while, allowing it to lull me into some semblance of relaxation. It's not too long later and I watch her stand and hold out her hand to me. I take it and she twines our fingers as I, too, stand beside her. Slowly, deliberately, she pulls me back down the stairs to my apartment where I unlock my door and allow her inside, shutting and locking the door behind me for the night.

She takes up residence on top of my bed and watches as I get ready for the night. I wash my face and shave and I'm taken back to the other day in this same situation and I silently wonder why I never saw her infatuation with me. Perhaps I did and I chose to ignore it. I never did like her Candor ways but Chris has proven herself to me and yet, I can't stop myself from going back to Caleb's warning.

"Chris?"

She looks up from a few files she's grabbed from my bedside table. "Hmm?"

"I can trust you, can't I?"

She frowns a little bit, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Of course you can. Why do you think you can't?"

I shake my head. "I trust you, Chris. I do. Caleb said something and I think he was just getting into my head."

"What did he say, Tobias?"

She looks angry as I glance at her through the mirror as I finish shaving. "That you have secrets."

She scoffs, her eyes narrowing. "He's just trying to start trouble. Don't listen to him."

"I'm not. Believe me. The day I listen to Caleb Prior is the day you make me step down from the Council and retire. Understood?"

I pat my face dry with a towel before I perch beside her on the bed. For a moment, she simply stares at me, trying to decide what to think of the words I just said. It's then she nods. Short. Concise. She understands. I appreciate it.

For a moment we simply sit there, watching each other. She makes the first move and shuts the file, tossing it back onto the bedside table. It's then the night begins to blur and we fall asleep as the sun begins to rise, chests heaving, skin slicked with sweat and I think, for one brief moment, maybe everything will be okay.


End file.
